photo by: Niamh Coomey

Around 40 chamber of commerce leaders from across the East Coast region gathered to share struggles and questions and learn from speakers like Frank Kenny (pictured).

The Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce held its inaugural regional conference at Oglebay Tuesday, drawing in more than 40 chamber leaders from seven different states in the East Coast region and beyond seeking professional development.

Chamber Marketing Director Brooke Anderson said the event has been years in the making.

The sessions, held in Oglebay Resort’s Fort Henry Room, covered everything from how chamber members can best utilize artificial intelligence to sales and retention strategies to a social media marketing panel.

Anderson emphasized the benefit of chamber leaders being able to share ideas and work through common challenges they might be facing with their own work with each other.

This is a large facet of the work that chamber consultant and conference keynote speaker Frank Kenny does. Kenny travels and leads professional development conversations with chambers around the country.

These conferences and events are important because in order to be successful, you have to be a lifelong learner and gain professional development skills, he said.

Putting on this first conference was no small feat for the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce, he emphasized.

“It’s really impressive that people came from seven states for this thing and that the Wheeling Chamber pulled that off, that’s a really big deal, that’s a leadership thing for the chamber, it’s impressive,” Kenny said.

In his keynote address, Kenny spoke to the importance of business leaders moving with the changing times and utilizing artificial intelligence.

“Experiment, try it and you’ll find that it makes you a superstar and other people that use it will outperform you so you better use it too or you’ll get passed by,” Kenny said.

He said people can often feel that they can not keep up with constant changes in their industry, but those who try new things and are willing to make efforts to adapt with the times will be ahead of the vast majority.

“People are worried that they can’t keep up with the change, ‘no matter how hard I try I’m falling behind.’ But I think if you adapt and you try to try new things and are willing to change you’ll be ahead of the vast majority of people. So don’t panic, don’t freak out but don’t be stuck in a rut either, adapt and try new things,” Kenny said.

Jack Poling, the general manager of the award-winning Hampton Inn location on National Road in Wheeling, also spoke to attendees Tuesday, sharing strategies he has picked up on how to improve guest experiences, something he said is important in every industry.

Simple things like putting your phone away, making a positive first impression, and prioritizing staff wellbeing all contribute to a successful business, he said.

Kenny emphasized that chamber members discussing topics like these and furthering their professional development benefits the communities across the region that they serve as well.

“[Chambers] support small businesses, they help people be successful, they build community and they contribute to a thriving, growing healthy community,” Kenny said. “So hopefully I make one little dent in people’s lives through the chambers.”